Ship of Fools: Coffee shop

Thread: Coffee shop Board: Oblivion / Ship of Fools.

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Posted by Ariel (# 58) on :

So, here you are in a coffee shop where you can sit and have a cup of something, and buy some beans or blends to take home. Assuming you've entered voluntarily and are looking forward to this, what are you going to have? And it's fine if you like instant. The only criterion is that it should be some form of coffee you particularly like.

I usually tend to go for a rich, dark Continental roast (decaff), full of flavour and aroma, strong and black. But recently have discovered the pleasure of Mocha. So far the best has been one with liquid chocolate mixed into it.

Posted by crunt (# 1321) on :

I'll have a flat white, please.

I don't particularly care about the bean or grind, as long as it's not too bitter. There is an art to steaming the milk (one I've never mastered - despite owning a coffee shop for years!), so the milk is as important as the coffee. That's why I like the flat white so much, it is made with warmed milk, but it is not a milky drink like the caffe latte / cafe au lait.

I'd also like a bong of your best - oops! We're not in Amsterdam, and even if we were, I'm not Dutch so I can't come in ...

Posted by Marvin the Martian (# 4360) on :

Mocha, please. With lots of whipped cream on top [Big Grin]

Posted by justlooking (# 12079) on :

I'll have a latte please. Strongish. I like the continental blends but I'm happy with whatever's served up as long as it's not decaff. I want coffee that does it's job.

I could cope with one of those warm almond croissants too.

Posted by Sioni Sais (# 5713) on :

Espresso please. The problem with black coffee is that it is only enjoyable with decent coffee, although at times of caffiene deficiency I'll use any darned thing, but it must be black.

Posted by Lyda*Rose (# 4544) on :

quote:
Originally posted by Marvin the Martian:
Mocha, please. With lots of whipped cream on top

I'll do coffee with you any time, Marv! [Cool]

Posted by Pyx_e (# 57) on :

Black, Large, filter or americano.

If I want a coffee flavoured beverage I will ask for one, otherwise I want coffee.

AtB, Pyx_e

Posted by Silver Faux (# 8783) on :

The largest available Tim Horton's mocha latte, topped with whipped cream and chocolate swirls, to drink slowly as I munch on half a dozen Tim Horton's donuts.
I would do my regular 20K bike ride twice a day for the next two weeks to make up for the sinful over-consumption.
Honestly, I would!
[Angel]

Posted by AristonAstuanax (# 10894) on :

Cappuccino (perhaps with honey, but probably not), or, if it's a local place that roasts its own beans, Yirgacheffe in a French press. I'll probably also take a pound of Yirg beans home with me, if you don't mind.

Posted by PeteC (# 10422) on :

My favourite coffee place is closing [Waterworks]

Continental dark, with a slug of milk. Perhaps one of their delectable muffins.

Did I mention they were closing? [Waterworks]

My other choice will be chain store coffee.

Second Cup - bitter and expensive
Treats - bitter and cheap
Tim Hortons - bitter and very cheap.

No choice at all really. [Disappointed]

Oh well, I guess I'll save money.

Posted by Jante (# 9163) on :

Decaffeinated instant with cold milk please- only coffee I really like, though its harder and harder to find it in any coffee shop. [Frown]

Posted by WhateverTheySay (# 16598) on :

It depends what mood I am in. I like different coffees on different days. Sometimes I like a cappuccino with the chocolate sprinkles, other times a mocha (but liquid chocolate is much nicer than powder chocolate) with cream, or maybe just an americano with cream.

Posted by Bene Gesserit (# 14718) on :

If it's before 11 o'clock, I'll have a decaff cappucino with sugar please, or after 11 a decaff cafetiere coffee, black with sugar.

Posted by Noteven (# 17073) on :

Mmmm... grande Turkish latte (cardamom and honey) for me, please.

Posted by Tree Bee (# 4033) on :

Black,no sugar. I don't like it bitter or strong.
My preferred type is Colombian.

I ask for an Americano when out; in Australia I eventually learnt that what I like is a weak long black.

The only instant I enjoy is Milicano. Expensive but worth it.

Oh, and in France I go for a noisette. Yum.

Posted by comet (# 10353) on :

I'm a sucker for peabody beans lately, particularly from Maui. crazy expensive but lovely. I also love the dark roasted arabica beans from Molokai. otherwise I'm generally a fan of a strong yirgacheffe from ethiopia. I like my roasts dark - french or espresso - so long as the roaster didn't burn them. (some french roasts go a little too far).

as for drinks - I go for black, often americano, when I'm away from my french press. sometimes I'll have a latte or macchiato if I need to get some calories in me. I can't stand sweetness in coffee - no sugar or syrups. they give a cloying aftertaste. the exception is turkish coffee.

the only way I'll have crappy drip-from-canned-coffee is if it's mixed with whiskey.

[ 28. April 2012, 20:22: Message edited by: comet ]

Posted by Schroedinger's cat (# 64) on :

I once had Ethiopean coffee. Frankincense in the cup before coffee went in, and, apparently, myrrh in the coffee. Very Wise Men. And it made me high.

But it was good.

Posted by Drifting Star (# 12799) on :

Black, Colombian, with a decent crema. As others have said, drinking it black means the coffee must be good, and I very rarely fancy coffee with milk. If it's burnt, forget it, and please, please, please don't give me an Americano.

quote:
Originally posted by Tree Bee:
The only instant I enjoy is Milicano. Expensive but worth it.

Me too.

It was a beautiful day when I discovered it and realised that I could have a reasonable instant coffee when camping. Has to be strong though - two heaped spoons.

I do like good hot chocolate, and one day I will try a mocha, but I suspect it will remain separate from my coffee consumption!

Posted by lilBuddha (# 14333) on :

For black, I like Sumatran or Ethiopian. Real Jamaican Blue Mountain is lovely, when it can be found. And I enjoy a good Kona. A lot less picky when it is in a mocha, provided the chocolate is decent.

Posted by Zappa (# 8433) on :

Advantage of NZ over OZ - in the latter you cannnot get a latte bowl. Only small or sometimes tall glasses (too hot to hold) - three sips and its gone. Mwahahah.

Posted by Earwig (# 12057) on :

quote:
Originally posted by Schroedinger's cat:
I once had Ethiopean coffee. Frankincense in the cup before coffee went in, and, apparently, myrrh in the coffee. Very Wise Men. And it made me high.

But it was good.

You are all making me very envious. Stop it right now. I love the smell of coffee, the taste. I love how flippin cool it is. I loved the film Coffee and Cigarettes. I watched Twin Peaks and wanted some damn fine coffee with my cherry pie.

If I drink coffee, I feel like a god. For fifteen minutes, and then I get a headache that would blind a moose.

Dammit.

Posted by Smudgie (# 2716) on :

First choice (*waits for hoots of derision and indignation*)...... instant. Fairly traded instant. Third of a cup of hot milk, not-too-heaped spoonful of coffee, topped off with boiling water. You can see why everyone hesitates before offering to make me a coffee at work!

Second choice - a one-shot latte, please. Preferably in a proper mug rather than a glass one, but a glass one'll do fine. Not two shots, though. Honestly, where has that crept in? If I wanted my coffee to taste of coffee that much, I'd order an espresso!

I'm with Marvin on the whipped cream (I don't think I meant to say that quite the way it sounds!) .... and none of those horrible biscotti things which taste like hardboard - give me a scrummy cinnamon biscuit, preferably two.

Or better still, take me back to my favourite Austrian cafe where a cup of coffee was accompanied by a glass of water (to quench the thirst first so you can savour the coffee after it) and a little jug made of chcoolate containing the cream - less washing up!

Posted by Ariel (# 58) on :

Earwig, you can get decaff now that tastes and smells as good as regular. I don't enjoy the side-effects of caffeine either. Decaffeinated isn't always completely caffeine free, but is a lot easier to handle.

When I first asked for decaffeinated in a coffee shop some years ago I was told I could only have an Americano. It wasn't really what I wanted, as there's usually too much water in it, but it seemed to be the only option so I went with it. It was only earlier this month one of the people behind a counter somewhere else made it clear a range of different things was available in decaffeinated.

As for blends, I used to really like the Viennese with fig in the days when I bought the uncaffeinated sort. It doesn't seem to be available as any other kind, though.

Posted by Trudy Scrumptious (# 5647) on :

Tall, non-fat, no-whip raspberry mocha.*

I actually don't like coffee that much, I just like things that are vaguely coffee flavoured and give me a reason to be in a coffee shop.

*iced if it's between April and September. Decaf if it's after 7 p.m.

Posted by Balaam (# 4543) on :

For a coffee flavoured beverage, latte with vanilla syrup.

For coffee flavour, espresso doppio macchiato.

Posted by Jigsaw (# 11433) on :

No idea of the blend, but:
Freshly made filter coffee, good flavour, hot, served with a smile and with real milk (not UHT) by the cheerful ladies in the League of Friends Tea Bar at Watford General Hospital, at just 70 pence a cup.

Posted by LutheranChik (# 9826) on :

Black, decaf, Fair Trade if at all possible, shade-grown a bonus, not too roasty. (I'll probably spell this incorrectly, but I used to be able to buy a varietal called Yrgicheffe, from Ethiopia, that was really good -- had a bright, light taste.)

I am not all that fond of flavored coffees...if I do get a fancy coffee it will usually be a vanilla latte'. Back during the heyday of syrup-and-whipped-cream-laden coffees my fave coffeehouse used to make a delicious coffee drink called a Rocky Road mocha, in homage to the ice cream flavor; it included Ghiradelli chocolate, toasted walnut syrup and mini-marshmallows, and came topped with whipped cream and more chocolate. I'm not sure how much actual coffee was in the stuff, but it was very good. (Especially in a community where blizzards were a twice-a-week expectation during the winter months, and the winter temps rarely cracked 25 degrees Fahrenheit.)

At home, lately we've alternated between splurging on an occasional pound of spendy regional-roasted or coop coffee (Leelanau Coffee Roasting Company; Higher Grounds; Just Coffee, which I think is located in Wisconsin) and buying multiple bags of coffee at the local Amish discount grocery, which re-sells remaindered items from supermarkets. We've gotten some quite good, non-stale coffee for less than half the retail price this way -- Starbucks, Newman's Own and other premium brands.

Posted by Lothlorien (# 4927) on :

quote:
Originally posted by Zappa:
Advantage of NZ over OZ - in the latter you cannnot get a latte bowl. Only small or sometimes tall glasses (too hot to hold) - three sips and its gone. Mwahahah.

You drank in all the wrong places Zappa. Lots of places here will do bowls.

Posted by daisydaisy (# 12167) on :

To drink, fair trade (if possible) cappuccino made with soya milk - a real treat, and more places seem to be offering this without charging extra for either fair trade or soya milk.

To take away, Peruvian dark roast, ready ground if possible, definitely fair trade. One of decaf and one of the stuff with a punch, please.

Posted by Sparrow (# 2458) on :

Has anyone tried Vietnamese weasel coffee?

http://www.vietnamtravelguide.org/weasel-coffee.html

I had the opportunity of trying it a couple of years ago when I was there, but chickened out when they told me how it comes to get that name!

[Ultra confused]

Posted by Lamb Chopped (# 5528) on :

Haven't tried it, but had a memorable visit with a Vietnamese family describing it. They meant to say "fox coffee," but couldn't pronounce the S sound OR the O properly, and you can guess how it came out.

Posted by Bean Sidhe (# 11823) on :

Americano with a dash of cold milk. Unless I want a change, when it's Chai Latte.

Posted by BroJames (# 9636) on :

Café Direct Medium Roast. Black, no sugar. (Just slightly more than 1 level tbsp of coffee to a 3 cup/350 ml/12 fl oz cafetière.)

Posted by Boogie (# 13538) on :

Latte macchiato please [Smile]

Posted by bib (# 13074) on :

No coffee for me thanks - gives me severe migraine. I'll have a pot of tea, English or Irish breakfast for preference thanks.

Posted by AristonAstuanax (# 10894) on :

quote:
Originally posted by Sparrow:
Has anyone tried Vietnamese weasel coffee?

http://www.vietnamtravelguide.org/weasel-coffee.html

I had the opportunity of trying it a couple of years ago when I was there, but chickened out when they told me how it comes to get that name!

Strange, I always thought Kopi Luwak was Indonesian. At any rate, it's the Indonesian restaurant in a suburban strip mall that occasionally serves the stuff when they can get their hands on it—and yes, they do know to e-mail me the instant they do. I really want to try it.

Posted by Earwig (# 12057) on :

quote:
Originally posted by Ariel:
Earwig, you can get decaff now that tastes and smells as good as regular. I don't enjoy the side-effects of caffeine either. Decaffeinated isn't always completely caffeine free, but is a lot easier to handle.

Ariel, you're very kind, but let's be honest. Decaff isn't cool. [Disappointed]

Posted by Amanda B. Reckondwythe (# 5521) on :

Strong, hot, freshly brewed, black, unflavored. Beyond that I don't care exactly where the beans may have come from.

And please don't call the size of the cup by some cute word such as "tall" or a non-English word such as "grande" or "veinte". If you can't understand "small", "medium" and "large" then I'll take my business elsewhere.

I'll also take my business elsewhere if I ask for a black coffee and you reply with "Cream and sugar?"

[ 01. May 2012, 16:54: Message edited by: Amanda B. Reckondwythe ]

Posted by ken (# 2460) on :

If the cup is large enough to have a name its too large!

And what's the point of decaff? The drug is the thing!

Buying coffee is easy. In Greece and Turkey you just buy a coffee. Everywhere else you ask for a double espresso - and if they don't know what you mean you know to try another shop next time. [Razz]

Starbucks and the like don't sell coffee, they sell coffee-flavoured milkshakes. Perhaps that's OK for a country where adult men think it no shame to drink fizzy pop in public, but it doesn't export well. [Snigger]

[ 01. May 2012, 16:59: Message edited by: ken ]

Posted by justlooking (# 12079) on :

quote:
Originally posted by Earwig:
.... Decaff isn't cool.

True.

I can understand having decaff for medical reasons, and feel sorry for those afflicted. But otherwise decaff just seems pointless. If I can't have properly functioning coffee I'd rather have tea.

[ 01. May 2012, 17:05: Message edited by: justlooking ]

Posted by Schroedinger's cat (# 64) on :

I am generally a caffeine person, but have decaf in the evening, because I like the coffee taste, but I also need to sleep at night.

Posted by LutheranChik (# 9826) on :

My doctor has forbidden me from drinking things with caffeine in them. But I still need that morning coffee boost, even if it's only psychological.

Posted by Sioni Sais (# 5713) on :

quote:
Originally posted by LutheranChik:
My doctor has forbidden me from drinking things with caffeine in them. But I still need that morning coffee boost, even if it's only psychological.

If your psychologist says so, then do so. If they want to throw patient records at each other, it's their fight. Don't let 'em spill your medicine.

Posted by Ariel (# 58) on :

quote:
Originally posted by Earwig:
.... Decaff isn't cool.

None of my friends have ever made me feel out of it for opting for decaff, and these days I buy mine from an independent coffee merchants, who grind the beans to your liking. This isn't a mild, mellow, girly kind of drink. This is an intense rich dark kind of coffee, best drunk strong and black and first thing in the morning to give that kickstart to the day (with this, you do get one). It's not a lot like the supermarket's own economy brand in a glass jar. The flavour and aroma are seriously good.

Most decaffeinated brands contain some element of caffeine, though much less than you find in regular coffee. I'm sufficiently caffeine-sensitive to pick it up from this, as I do from chocolate, but the doses are more manageable. I'd be quite happy if they found a way of completely decaffeinating it so I could consume more.

Posted by Ye Olde Motherboarde (# 54) on :

I would walk into a coffee shop and ask for hot chocolate. (I get nauseated just smelling coffee for some reason).

Now, JB just loves his coffee (mostly black with a touch of cream.) He is partial to Sumatran and if I find free trade I always buy it. There is a coffee shop in Los Alamos that he loves that will blend for customers and he gets adventurous with blends on occasion. (the coffee shop has great food, too!) YUM

Posted by comet (# 10353) on :

I dont have a problem with people drinking decaf. I don't - but only because I rarely get any effect off caffeine and rarely can find any decaf that tastes okay. if there was good quality decaf, Id be happy to drink it. the drug is not the thing for me, its the flavor.

I've had good decaf that I used even for my morning cup and it was lovely. coffee wakes me up by being hot and strong.

Posted by Sir Kevin (# 3492) on :

Purest Kona coffee would be my favourite. Usually, we have hazelnut. I drink it black.

When at Starbuck's, I get espresso venti topped off with regular coffee.

Posted by PD (# 12436) on :

Rule 1 - No Starbucks, it always tastes burnt to me.

Rule 2 - Dark Roast, no wuss coffee please

Rule 3 - It has to be strong enough to levitate a hibernating Confessional Lutheran the morning after a bucket of beer night.

Other than that I am not too fussy.

PD

[ 02. May 2012, 00:45: Message edited by: PD ]

Posted by Fr Weber (# 13472) on :

I am finicky. Like PD, I dislike Starbucks--roast so dark it's burnt, and then not made strong enough (beans to water ratio). I will drink Peet's, though I'm not in love with it.

Luckily, here by the Bay there are a number of fantastic roasters and brewers of coffee. When I'm in the mood for something dark, I can get it, and when a lighter roast (Kenya, say) is what I want, it's easy to find. Beans from Indonesia usually hit the spot, if the roast is right.

I don't drink Americano; it's an espresso-machine kludge in the absence of brewed coffee. Blech.

Posted by Kelly Alves (# 2522) on :

I used to get all kinds of crap from my ex for drinking coffee wimp-style, with cream and two teaspoons of sugar. Then we saw Pulp Fiction together, and I was vindicated by The Wolf. I dare you to challenge his badassery.

(Go to 1:24)

Nowadays I like a dash of hazelnut Torani in my house drip coffee, thank you.

(Oh and if maple syrup is available, I will take that in place of sugar. Ex thought this was freakish.)

[ 02. May 2012, 03:09: Message edited by: Kelly Alves ]

Posted by Balaam (# 4543) on :

quote:
Originally posted by Boogie:
Latte macchiato please

I have had one of these once. It was a big mistake.

There are two macchiatos. (macchiati?) And they are the opposite of each other. Espresso macchiato is an espresso stained with a little milk and is strong. Latte macchiato is milk stained with a little, very little, coffee.

The problem is that where the word macchiato is used alone it usually means the espresso variety, small and strong.

Only once have I seen the word macchiato alone refer to the <shudder> latte version. How something with so little coffee in it can still be considered coffee is beyond me.

Posted by AristonAstuanax (# 10894) on :

quote:
Originally posted by Kelly Alves:
(Oh and if maple syrup is available, I will take that in place of sugar. Ex thought this was freakish.)

Go to any place in Italy that serves coffee, from backwater rat traps to posh urban cafés from a more refined era. You'll find honey available for your coffee, and people putting it in theirs.

It's certainly a bit of an odd taste at first, but, especially in cappuccino, I've grown to like it.

Posted by Kelly Alves (# 2522) on :

I've had honey in my coffee before. Not bad. Old boss of mine turned me on to it.

Posted by Ariel (# 58) on :

I think it's nicer than sugar - a gentler, rounder flavour. It works well in tea.

Posted by Sioni Sais (# 5713) on :

quote:
Originally posted by Balaam:
<snip>
Only once have I seen the word macchiato alone refer to the <shudder> latte version. How something with so little coffee in it can still be considered coffee is beyond me.

You've never tasted 'church strength' coffee then. I think there is a strand of British non-conformism that welcomes tea but believes coffee should only be allowed as a warm, milky drink.

[ 02. May 2012, 12:08: Message edited by: Sioni Sais ]

Posted by ken (# 2460) on :

Church coffee is basically warm milk and instant coffee. Horrible. Always drink the tea.

But to be fair the coffee you get in coffee bars isn't usually any stronger, unless you buy the espresso. Its just got real coffee rather than instant and posher kinds of sugar and milk. A capuccino from a takeaway is certainly a much nicer drink than church coffee, but its not actually really very much more like coffee. Its just a better-made coffee-flavoured milkshake.

Posted by Angloid (# 159) on :

Just noticed this thread. Ariel's OP says 'it's fine if you like instant. '

Of course it is. Everyone is entitled to their beverage of taste. But it is not coffee. Any more than Kia-Ora squash (does it still exist? I've not tasted it since I was a kid) is orange juice.

There is only one sort of coffee worthy of the name and that is full strength espresso. Cappuccino is OK with a croissant for breakfast, if you must. Everything else is just a drink for those people who don't like coffee but pretend that they do.

As for the chains, Caffè Nero is tolerable, Costa just about OK at a push, Starbucks to be avoided like the plague.

There should be a special circle of hell reserved for those who serve 'coffee' at the back of church. T S Eliot said 'I have measured out my life with coffee spoons': I wonder if he was on the rota at St Stephen's Gloucester Road.

Posted by Kelly Alves (# 2522) on :

quote:
Originally posted by Angloid:

Of course it is. Everyone is entitled to their beverage of taste. But it is not coffee. Any more than Kia-Ora squash (does it still exist? I've not tasted it since I was a kid) is orange juice.
that they do.

Some idiot was using it as a glaze for duck a l'orange on "Kitchen Nightmares" within the last couple years, so I would guess it's lurking out there somewhere.

Posted by Balaam (# 4543) on :

quote:
Originally posted by Sioni Sais:

quote:
Originally posted by Balaam:
<snip>
Only once have I seen the word macchiato alone refer to the <shudder> latte version. How something with so little coffee in it can still be considered coffee is beyond me.
You've never tasted 'church strength' coffee then. I think there is a strand of British non-conformism that welcomes tea but believes coffee should only be allowed as a warm, milky drink.

I have experienced it. In Anglican circles, generally speaking, the further up the candle the better the coffee.

So it is real filter coffee at a real smells & bells church, but weak instant at the conservative evangelical variety.

Posted by LutheranChik (# 9826) on :

Unfortunately, our frugal Church Ladies favor Folger's by the jug (it really does come in a jug), which one of them gets for cheap at one of those big warehouse stores. And the local well water is sulfurous and generally awful. So I frequently commit the Lutheran heresy of declining coffee after church.

Posted by Kelly Alves (# 2522) on :

quote:
Originally posted by LutheranChik:
Unfortunately, our frugal Church Ladies favor Folger's by the jug (it really does come in a jug), which one of them gets for cheap at one of those big warehouse stores.

...

The Folger family must have been distantly related to Luther. My home church gets the Big Red Jug o' Folgers as well.

(And the actual Folger mansion is about half an hour down the road form here, in Woodside.)
[Cool]

Posted by AristonAstuanax (# 10894) on :

I was going to say . . . there are many things one can say about Disciples and Evangelical Lutheran church coffee, but "weak," "milky," and "to be avoided" are not those that spring to mind. It may just be that British church volunteers are as good at making coffee as American ones are at making tea (drink it at your own risk), but I've yet to meet any that wasn't strong and drinkable in a sleep-deprived pinch. Sure it may not taste amazing, it may not be anything like the Yirgacheffe so many of us on the Ship seem to like, but that's part of it.

And, while I have seen the food service industrial jugs of coffee concentrate used at large Scout camps and cafeterias, never have I seen them in a church. The four-gallon coffee percolator that has to be started half an hour before the first people arrive for the early service? Now that's just a fixture.

Posted by comet (# 10353) on :

quote:
Originally posted by Balaam:

The problem is that where the word macchiato is used alone it usually means the espresso variety, small and strong.

this is what I meant. if I'm not up for full-on, kick your ass, make grown men scream espresso - i.e. feeling a little sissy and want some calories to subsist on until later in the day, it's a macchiato. (heavy cream if I can get it!) if I'm basically replacing a meal and need a lot of volume of hot (say, taking a road trip) I'll go latte but it's not very often and I demand two more shots so I can at least taste the coffee.

and scoff as you will - but an americano has it's uses. at least in my experience, if you order brewed coffee, you get that vile drip shit that is often so weak you could read the paper through it. even if they started with quality beans, they didn't boil the water and then probably let it sit on a burner or in an airpot forever, letting it get all bitter and nasty. an americano gives you a large volume of "hot" (meaning, you can nurse it and enjoy), it's brewed right in front of you and not left out to die like a neglected houseplant, you can control the strength (I get a 12 oz with 4 shots. I like my coffee to reach up and slap me around) and it's flavor is not cut with milk, or cream, or syrups, or that hideous soymilk crap that tastes like ground up mothballs.

Posted by Kelly Alves (# 2522) on :

(to AA)
I think she's talking about the vacuum packed jug of ground coffee they sell in the warehouse stores. Proper coffee grounds, but they begin to taste stank after a while because the air gets into the big gonzo jug. And there is always someone on the Ladies' League with a Costco card who considers it their stewardship to buy the big old drum o' coffee every three months or so.

But I know, and have great affection for, that industrial peculator you are talking about.

[ 03. May 2012, 01:32: Message edited by: Kelly Alves ]

Posted by comet (# 10353) on :

quote:
Originally posted by Fr Weber:

I don't drink Americano; it's an espresso-machine kludge in the absence of brewed coffee. Blech.

watch them make it! if they're passing off rejected shot leftovers on you and not brewing fresh, pitch a fit. a real americano is to machine-brewed drip coffee as a blue ribbon microbrewed IPA is to PBR.

Posted by Zappa (# 8433) on :

quote:
Originally posted by Lothlorien:

quote:
Originally posted by Zappa:
Advantage of NZ over OZ - in the latter you cannnot get a latte bowl. Only small or sometimes tall glasses (too hot to hold) - three sips and its gone. Mwahahah.
You drank in all the wrong places Zappa. Lots of places here will do bowls.

Damn. I hope it eventually translates north.

Incidentally I love a short black. It is the test of a good restaurant.

Posted by Mamacita (# 3659) on :

Hazelnut. Pumpkin spice in the autumn.

Posted by Kelly Alves (# 2522) on :

(sigh) Yeah.

Shoot me, I like flavors.

Posted by Cryptic (# 16917) on :

quote:
Originally posted by ken:
Church coffee is basically warm milk and instant coffee. Horrible. Always drink the tea.

Not so! At St Roof's we have proper coffee brewed in plungers. It's actaully pretty good, and after an hour and a half with the Sunday school kids, it tastes like nectar! On the other hand, the tea is bloody awful and so weak it's undrinkable.

quote:
Originally posted by Angloid:

There should be a special circle of hell reserved for those who serve 'coffee' at the back of church.

My thoughts exactly. Coffee is for the parish hall, or the crypt or the courtyard, not for the church. [Mad]

Posted by Fr Weber (# 13472) on :

quote:
Originally posted by comet:

quote:
Originally posted by Fr Weber:

I don't drink Americano; it's an espresso-machine kludge in the absence of brewed coffee. Blech.
watch them make it! if they're passing off rejected shot leftovers on you and not brewing fresh, pitch a fit. a real americano is to machine-brewed drip coffee as a blue ribbon microbrewed IPA is to PBR.

Machine-brewed? I feel dizzy...a cold maniple for my forehead...that's better.

Yours truly generally frequents the sort of place where they brew drip coffee by the cup. Peet's machine-brews, but I usually don't go there unless I'm in an unfamiliar place--they're at least a known quantity.

Posted by Psmith (# 15311) on :

Brewed, dark roast, with some milk or black (the former if its Tim Horton's or Starbucks, the latter if is better coffee).

I'm going to add my voice to those who say that church coffee is rather good (strong, drinkable black, far trade and from a local roaster). But then I'm both North American and Anglo-Catholic, so that's both of the above-mentioned exceptions to the bad coffee rule. Church tea... I've never tried it. But drink vastly more tea at home than coffee. It is in every way to be preferred, but so few places can manage it.

Posted by PD (# 12436) on :

So is the coffee where we are meeting for Synod, Father...

I hope it is stronger than it was last time!

PD

Posted by Angloid (# 159) on :

quote:
Originally posted by Cryptic:

quote:
Originally posted by Angloid:

There should be a special circle of hell reserved for those who serve 'coffee' at the back of church.
My thoughts exactly. Coffee is for the parish hall, or the crypt or the courtyard, not for the church.

I didn't mean that. Back of church is fine by me especially if there is no church hall or crypt (often the case) and 'courtyard' means rain-washed pavement spattered with pigeon- and dog-excrement. If we had Coffee and not 'coffee' in church I'd be made up.

Posted by Sir Kevin (# 3492) on :

quote:
Originally posted by Fr Weber:
I will drink Peet's, though I'm not in love with it.

When my sister lived in the Berkeley hills, her husband always bought their coffee there. Our local Safeway coffee which I grind myself is just as good and equal or better than Starbucks even though there is one right inside the store!

Posted by Sir Kevin (# 3492) on :

AA. did you notice you had a treble post here?

Posted by Moo (# 107) on :

I prefer homemade coffee.

I have a Cup-at-a-Time coffee maker, and I make whatever kind I want for each cup. First thing in the morning I drink coffee with chicory.

Later in the day I drink flavored coffee made with fresh-ground beans. One reason I prefer at-home coffee is that at home I have cream which has not been ultra-pasteurized. Ultra-pasteurization does something very unpleasant to the flavor.

Moo

Posted by Sioni Sais (# 5713) on :

quote:
Originally posted by Sir Kevin:

quote:
Originally posted by Fr Weber:
I will drink Peet's, though I'm not in love with it.

When my sister lived in the Berkeley hills, her husband always bought their coffee there. Our local Safeway coffee which I grind myself is just as good and equal or better than Starbucks even though there is one right inside the store!

Kev, couldn't 'better than Starbucks' be like saying a tent in a hurricane is better than jail?

[ 03. May 2012, 11:40: Message edited by: Sioni Sais ]

Posted by Ariel (# 58) on :

quote:
Originally posted by Angloid:
As for the chains, Caffè Nero is tolerable, Costa just about OK at a push, Starbucks to be avoided like the plague.

I like Caffe Nero – they have a good range of cakes and pastries and will play classical music to you on a Sunday morning as you sit and read the paper. All Costa seemed to have last time I looked in was a variety of (sweet) muffins. Starbucks is the only option near the office, if I don't bring my own.

Commuters will have their own favourites on the station forecourts. Mine are AMT, who serve blisteringly hot coffee which retains its heat on a freezing winter's morning, and good biscuits and pastries; and a "mobile cafe" outside the station which goes in for good quality products and has a full-size coffee-bar kind of machine in the back of the van. This is run by a former chef, oddly enough, who knows his stuff. I used to like Cafe Ritazza for their coffee and almond croissants, but they now seem to have gone in for muffins instead and the coffee doesn't taste the way I remember it.

[ 03. May 2012, 12:21: Message edited by: Ariel ]

Posted by Chorister (# 473) on :

We have a good number of well-run independent coffee shops, so I don't need to use the chains. But when on a visit to chainland, I find that Costa is usually the best turned-out, Neros the best value - especially with their stamped cards, and Starbucks the best coffee (because I like it weak). But my favourite of all are the ones which give you a free belgian chocolate with your drink (eg. Thorntons, Manon, Leonidas) [Yipee]

Posted by The Intrepid Mrs S (# 17002) on :

I got utterly sick of ordering 'Three black coffees, please' in restaurants with my friends, and getting three half-cups plus a jug of milk. So, I started specifying 'Three full cups of black coffee and no milk please'. On one memorable occasion the waiter, returning with our order on a tray, saw the look in my eye, about-turned and returned to the kitchen to top them up. I didn't ask what with, though!
[Devil]

Mrs. S, caffeine-deprived and twitchy

Posted by Angloid (# 159) on :

quote:
Originally posted by Chorister:
Starbucks the best coffee (because I like it weak).

Sorry Chorister: 'nuff said!

Re: almond croissants: I love them, and Caffè Nero do reasonable ones. Some tend to have too much sickly-sweet goo in the middle. Any recommendations?

Posted by Hugal (# 2734) on :

Latte for me. What to eat? Choc Muffin

Posted by WhateverTheySay (# 16598) on :

I like Caffe Nero. Their larger size coffees are just the right strength for me. Plus they do have a good range of food.

Costa is also good. But I find I can't have lunch there. They don't have very much range of vegetarian savouries, unless I want a hot sandwich (which usually I don't). Though I do like their sweet selections. I'd say my favourite coffee there is the cappuccino, medium size.

We have Starbucks at college, and I always have the mocha there. I think their coffee is not as good as elsewhere. But then I do like a stronger coffee (but always with milk).

Posted by lilBuddha (# 14333) on :

quote:
Originally posted by Sir Kevin:
AA. did you notice you had a treble post here?

Finger on the mouse twitching from the coffee, likely.

Posted by kankucho (# 14318) on :

A couple of thumbs up for fair trade, I see.

Does anyone share my anger at coffee chains that offer Fair Trade as an option, upon supplementary payment?

It's effectively saying, "We don't give a stuff about fair trade, and we screw our suppliers for every penny on most of the millions of tonnes that we buy. But we don't mind stocking a couple of tins of FairTrade if it gets a few well-heeled and well-meaning hippies through our doors, who are too dim to suss that the ethical stuff doesn't cost us even a tiny fraction of the 20p-per-scoop surcharge that we cynically stick on".

[ 07. May 2012, 09:52: Message edited by: kankucho ]

Posted by PD (# 12436) on :

Thankfully the hotel where the Left Coast guys have synod had got over its attack of "the Starbuck syndrome" this year. They were brewing stuff strong enough that I had a pulse on a quick cup before Matins and Mass. [Yipee]

The coffee in my parish is strong because I make it. I drank enough pots of weasel widdle when I first went there to float a frigate. When the DOT that made the coffee eventually kicked off I was able to takeover the coffee making and alter the formula from 5 scoops for a 40 cup pot to 8 per pot. For those who find my coffee too stout I always make sure that there is a jug of hot water handy.

I also loathe weak tea. I drink it strong enough to creosote a fence, and slightly acquainted with the milk jug.

PD

Posted by Steve H (# 17102) on :

Why can't you just have a coffee in a cafe any more? Nowadays it's got to be a cappuccino, or a Latte, or an Americano, or whatever. Me, I just want a strong, white coffee, with one brown sugar, not something with a foreign name, served by a barrister (isn't there enough legal work to go round?) with a fake foreign accent. Actually, I generally prefer tea, in any case.

Posted by Steve H (# 17102) on :

quote:
Originally posted by ken:
Church coffee is basically warm milk and instant coffee. Horrible. Always drink the tea.

In my church, the post-service coffee is reasonable, being fair-trade instant, but the tea is anaemic rubbish, the colour of slightly dirty water, except when I'm on tea-and-coffee-serving duty, when I make sure it's good and strong.

Posted by swllwmzn (# 12945) on :

The coffee and tea are both good at our church. Have to be fair trade and I run the coffee rota so I buy it. Coffee made in 12 cup cafetieres, tea in a big old institutional pot with plenty of tea bags and a good mash with a spoon before pouring. If anyone wants to water either down they are most welcome to. We get some quite good biscuits too but that's up to each team so it varies. Anyone who brings fig rolls gets extra Brownie points from me.

Posted by Fr Raphael (# 17131) on :

quote:
Originally posted by Trudy Scrumptious:
Tall, non-fat, no-whip raspberry mocha.*

*iced if it's between April and September. Decaf if it's after 7 p.m.

Wow! Anyone know if this could be tried in the UK?

For myself Costa for Mocha first then Nero.

Posted by ken (# 2460) on :

quote:
Originally posted by Fr Raphael:

quote:
Originally posted by Trudy Scrumptious:
Tall, non-fat, no-whip raspberry mocha.*

*iced if it's between April and September. Decaf if it's after 7 p.m.
Wow! Anyone know if this could be tried in the UK?

For myself Costa for Mocha first then Nero.

That's not coffee its pudding!

Posted by Fr Raphael (# 17131) on :

[Hot and Hormonal]

Whoops

I just recently discovered how Costa varies in price from shop to shopu

Posted by Ariel (# 58) on :

Don't be embarrassed, Fr Raphael, I'd just been thinking I'd be interested in trying one of those myself. I'll be having a good look at what they've got next time I'm in my local coffee shop, if they stock a range of syrups and flavouring it should be possible. I quite fancy exploring a few new options.

Posted by Fr Raphael (# 17131) on :

I've seen those syrup bottles but never known how they work.

Do you simply ask for a shot in your drink?

Posted by wrinkley (# 7673) on :

Sure, that's what the Irish do. Oops, you mean syrup?

For myself, I like a cup of fresh brewed joe with 1/2 teaspoon sugar.

All these fancy coffees turn me off.

If I want milk, I go to the frig, get the milk carton and pour some in a glass.

Posted by Firenze (# 619) on :

quote:
Originally posted by wrinkley:

If I want milk, I go to the frig

You're sure that's milk?

Posted by Zappa (# 8433) on :

If it stays still, it is (but thereby is invisible to males). If it wriggles or bubbles it may not be.

Posted by Fr Raphael (# 17131) on :

A little off topic, bu just a bit...

I buy Nescafé Gold Blend as the instant blend for home.

Anyone any particular preferences in the instant line?

Posted by Boogie (# 13538) on :

quote:
Originally posted by Balaam:

The problem is that where the word macchiato is used alone it usually means the espresso variety, small and strong.

It's not a problem - this is gorgeous too, after a meal when no more liquid is needed, fabulous!

Latte macchiato is for when one is thirsty and wants to sit outside with a coffee watching the world go by, yum!

Posted by LutheranChik (# 9826) on :

In the heat of the summer I like iced coffee -- generally black, although sometimes with milk. (I won't partake of McDonald's because their "cream" is some sort of transfat-loaded manufactured slurry.)

Posted by Fr Weber (# 13472) on :

quote:
Originally posted by Firenze:

quote:
Originally posted by wrinkley:

If I want milk, I go to the frig
You're sure that's milk?

That was wicked.

But funny. [Smile]

Posted by Mama Thomas (# 10170) on :

Every morning I have to have what is hard to find in coffee shops: Turkish coffee. Three heaping spoons of freshly ground darkly roasted beans ground to a fine powder added to almost boiling water, in which three tea spoons of sugar are dissolved, and gently brought to a full boil over fairly low heat in a nearly conically shaped long-handled ibric.

Posted by WhateverTheySay (# 16598) on :

quote:
Originally posted by LutheranChik:
(I won't partake of McDonald's because their "cream" is some sort of transfat-loaded manufactured slurry.)

And I cannot stand McDonalds coffee. I'm not sure if it is even coffee.

Though pretty much everything about McDonalds makes me want to avoid it, not only their poor excuse for coffee.

Posted by WhateverTheySay (# 16598) on :

quote:
Originally posted by Fr Raphael:
A little off topic, bu just a bit...

I buy Nescafé Gold Blend as the instant blend for home.

Anyone any particular preferences in the instant line?

I have Cafe Direct, with single cream.

Posted by Drifting Star (# 12799) on :

Millicano - strong and black - when I am away from my coffee maker and have to fall back on instant.

Posted by Sir Kevin (# 3492) on :

quote:
Originally posted by Fr Weber:
I will drink Peet's, though I'm not in love with it...

I drank it daily when I lived in the bay area or whenever I visited my sister and her family who lived in the Berkeley hills. I am not clever enough to roast my own beans, so I shall say that Peet's is as good as anybody's...

Posted by ken (# 2460) on :

quote:
Originally posted by Fr Weber:

quote:
Originally posted by Firenze:

quote:
Originally posted by wrinkley:

If I want milk, I go to the frig
You're sure that's milk?
That was wicked.

But funny.

Especially since some people didn't get it [Razz]

Obviously neither punk rock nor rugby songs were part of the way they mis-spent their youth.

Posted by Yerevan (# 10383) on :

Mocha, ideally with lots of chocolate sprinkles. The people at my local Costa don't even bother asking what my order is any more [Hot and Hormonal]

Posted by JoyfulNoise & Parrot OKief (# 2049) on :

A little over one teaspoon Fairtrade Instant Coffee,mixed with an egg-cupful of water, added to a mug of Hot Milk.

Posted by jedijudy (# 333) on :

I think I'll join JoyfulNoise! [Smile]

It's wonderful to see you back on board, old Friend!

Posted by longing (# 17154) on :

I'm still trying to work out which chain coffee-shop I like best. Starbucks tastes like dilute celery, Nero's is often too strong, and so I think I've settled on Costa. The problem is, it seems to be taking over the world - every service station, every pub, ever petrol station has a costa machine. Pretty soon we'll be flushing our loos with it.

The best coffee I've EVER had was from The Box Brownie in Stratford upon Avon, who use Monmouth coffee http://www.monmouthcoffee.co.uk/coffee .

At home, you can't beat a cup of freshly brewed Monsooned Malabar.

Posted by Fr Raphael (# 17131) on :

I prefer Costa. I found out from my daily paper today that it's owned by Whitbreads.

That made me wonder if some of the coffee chains are more ethically sensitive than others.

Posted by Ariel (# 58) on :

Nero, definitely. Interesting range of cakes and pastries, good coffee, nice atmosphere, and classical music on a Sunday morning. That and a window seat in the sun make a great start to the day.

I'm going to look out for the Box Brownie on my next visit to Stratford.

Posted by Jengie Jon (# 273) on :

Favourite chain at the moment Rialto (alright it has exactly two branches, I think the other is in Barnsley). They roast their own coffee on the Sheffield premises. Normal order is a black americano, if I am feeling like I need to wake up a double expresso and if I am feeling in need of a treat a soya latte when I can get it.

Actually realising that I am spoilt for coffee. Not just Rialto, but PJ Taste which have very smooth Italian coffee and that is even before I mention Tamper Coffee which I have not even tried. There are other small chains such as Coffee Revolution (started by a local entrepreneur now run by Sheffield University Students Union). Then there are the biggies Starbucks, Costa, Nero etc.

Jengie

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